Evidence disproves scaremongering about safer alternatives

STOCKHOLM – Leading international health experts have welcomed research dispelling the myth that safer nicotine alternatives are a “gateway” product for the underage.

New evidence from New Zealand shows that youth vaping rates are falling sharply while youth smoking continues to decline to historic lows, directly contradicting claims that reduced-risk nicotine products inevitably lead young people to cigarettes.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and a former Secretary-General of the World Medical Association, said: “The scaremongers have been proved wrong. The New Zealand data shows the ‘gateway’ theory does not stand up to real-world evidence.

“Youth smoking continues to fall even as safer alternatives are available to adults, demonstrating that youth protection and harm reduction for smokers are not mutually exclusive.”

New Zealand is one of the few countries nearing official ‘smoke-free’ status, when adult daily smoking prevalence drops below 5%.

It has halved its smoking rate to 6.8% in less than a decade, following the government-endorsed promotion of vapes as a safer alternative for adult smokers.

Data from the nationally recognised ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey, covering more than 30,000 New Zealand adolescents aged 14 and 15, shows vaping has dropped dramatically in recent years, while the proportion of teenagers who have never smoked has risen to nearly nine in 10.

Dr Human said the evidence should prompt a rethink among policymakers worldwide.

“All reliable evidence shows that smart regulation saves lives,” he said. “Policies grounded in fear rather than science risk protecting cigarettes, the most dangerous product of all.”

The findings reinforce the need for proportionate, evidence-based regulation that prevents underage access while ensuring smokers can switch to demonstrably safer alternatives, he concluded.

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